It was Leong Jun Hao’s first win over Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in three meetings. (Bernama pic)
KUALA LUMPUR: National men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao created a major upset in the Singapore Open when he sent defending champion Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia packing in the second round today.
The world No 36 defeated the world No 7 and two-time champion 14-21, 21-10, 21-8 after an intense one-hour battle at the Singapore Indoor Stadium to storm into tomorrow’s quarter-finals.
It was Jun Hao’s first win over the Indonesian in three meetings.
However, a bigger test awaits him in the last eight as Jun Hao will come up against world No 1 and Olympic gold medallist Viktor Axelsen.
The Dane, rejuvenated after ending a six-month title drought by winning the Malaysia Masters last weekend, beat Taiwan’s Lin Chun Yi 21-16, 14-21, 21-16 in the second round today as he eyes his first Singapore Open crown.
Jun Hao, 24, had stunned Japan’s world No 28 Kanta Tsuneyama in the first round, while Ginting received a walkover from Malaysian professional shuttler Lee Zii Jia, who pulled out with a hamstring injury.
Mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei followed in Jun Hao’s footsteps when they beat defending champions Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje of Denmark 21-17, 21-18 to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Tang Jie-Ee Wei also face a tough task in the last eight as they will have to deal with South Korea’s Olympic-bound fourth seeds Seo Seung Jae-Chae Yu Jung, who ousted Japan’s Yuki Kaneko-Misaki Matsutomo 21-19, 18-21, 21-16.
Newly-wed independent pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Jemie Lai, who won the Malaysia Masters title on Sunday, had to concede a walkover to three-time world champions Zheng Si Wei-Huang Ya Qiong while trailing 22-20, 11-21, 1-11 because of injuries.
The top-seeded Chinese pair will face compatriots Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin in the quarter-finals tomorrow.
In men’s doubles, Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani defeated China’s Liu Yu Chen-Ou Xuan Yi 21-13, 21-16 to set up a quarter-final clash against another Chinese pair, He Ji Ting-Ren Xiang Yu.
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